Sense and Sensibility opens Feb. 16

Trevecca theater students this month will bring the classic novel, Sense and Sensibility, to life in a new format.

A cast of 15 will open the Feb. 16 show “in the round,” which means the stage will be in the center of the audience.

“The platform is a few inches off the floor, so it is going to be different because it’s three quarters, but not quite 360 degrees, but the audience will see every angle of it,” said Hannah Pollok, senior stage manager.

The play is based on the Jane Austen novel and features two sisters who are left alone because of their father’s recent death. While being stuck in a talkative 18-century town, the two sisters want to find themselves and overcome obstacles that are seen in today’s society.

The leads are senior Autumn Tustin (Elinor Dashwood) and freshman Rachel Capps (Marianne Dashwood) who play the sisters.

Tustin said she and her character have a lot in common.

“She and I share a lot of similarities in how we present ourselves, but also how we view the world and I think I really like playing through how her emotions change and grow throughout the production,” said Tustin. “Elinor is more reserved and keeps to herself emotionally and for me the same things happen because I grew up as a pastor’s kid, and I tend to keep my thoughts to whatever is happening in front of me.”

According to Pollok, Tustin and Capps, the show is going to be “fun, energetic, and interesting,” and is different from the book.

“You won’t get bored from watching it, and a lot of the characters are over the top,” said Capps.

Although everything is kept from the classic original story, the adaptation of Kate Hamill’s play adds a new perspective to the story.

“When I heard they were going to do Sense and Sensibility, I was like great this play is going to be boring, but the way it has been staged and written is not boring,” said Tustin.

Sense and Sensibility is Pollok’s first stage managing job.

“I worked backstage a lot and was a dresser, but Jeff Frame asked me if I wanted to take a different direction to be a stage manager, and I was like okay,” said Pollok. “I was kind of scary because it is a lot of work and I have to be at every rehearsal, but I definitely think it is a learning experience.”